The Hindu Business Line : Samaritans from beyond the shores

AT Pondicherry's Ananda Inn Hotel, we think we'll be the early birds at breakfast which opens at 6.30 a.m. On our way to Cuddalore to take stock of tsunami-affected villages in the region, we are there on the dot to grab a bite and make an early start. But within minutes the restaurant is buzzing with activity, and we sight a group of 30 Americans whose mission is the same: Have a quick breakfast and hit the road to the villages where they are carrying out relief work among the tsunami victims.

Nancy Ricks is a physiotherapist from Colorado and works for a non-profit organisation. This is her eighth visit to India and she is a veteran in understanding the sensibilities and sensitivities of Indians, having been here earlier to participate in relief work for the victims of Orissa cyclones more than once. She thinks it is very "important to be dressed appropriately" and has donned salwar-kameez; "this ensures that I'm more easily accepted in India," she says.

Her 30-member group comprises doctors, paramedics and counsellors. And their sincerity and dedication show how ordinary Americans have been more generous than their Government, whose response to the December tragedy has been considered inadequate. Within a few days of the killer waves devastating regions in South and South-East Asia, Nancy and other members of the group decided to head for India as they had prior experience of working here. "We urged our friends and relatives to help our effort and soon we had collected money and medicines to bring to India," says Nancy.

The group has been here for a week and plans to stay for another. The amount that each member will spend on travel and accommodation comes to $3,000 (Rs 1.31 lakh). "This is not a small sum, that is why we were upset when the domestic airline wanted us to pay a few thousand dollars for excess baggage. After all, we were carrying medicines and some relief material that people at home had donated so generously. So I fought and got it waived," she adds.

The ailments the team has encountered pertain to fractures, bruises, stomach pain and persistent vomiting, due to intake of seawater, high temperature, severe depression and, of course, nightmares.

Brad Strait, a counsellor who had worked in Florida after the hurricane lashed its coast last year, says the team had worked among tsunami victims in and around Cuddalore. "They will have to be counselled not once or twice but over a longer period. We're training people in the local community to carry on this work," he says, adding that his experience from counselling hurricane victims in Florida gave him a good sense of what devastation can do to the minds and hearts of people.

All members of the group are impressed with the distribution of relief but Nancy is troubled by "complaints that the lower caste people are not getting relief which is being cornered by the more powerful people in the upper castes and that is the saddest part. We've been told by some people that they have got no food, no money, no utensils. The administration needs to look into this. We see this as a huge problem, which, if not tackled, can lead to an upheaval in society."

While this is one aspect, the other pertains to Westerners, particularly Christians, being viewed with suspicion vis-à-vis conversions.

When asked if the local community had raised this aspect, Nancy smiles. "Oh yes, there are some people who have looked at us with suspicion and raised this question. But let me assure you that we have no such motive. Of course, we have come here to help the suffering people in an attempt to act as the hands and feet of Christ ... nothing more. I believe it is the inherent right of every human being, however rich or poor, to choose their religion and people should not be forced to adopt one faith or the other."

So what does she think about Pastor Benny Hinn (who was then conducting his mega meet in Bangalore)? Nancy hesitates and then replies with a smile, "I wouldn't like to comment, because I don't like to divide people."

Adds Strait, "In the sense Indians are so different, we Americans too are very different in the way we choose our faith."

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rasheeda@thehindu.co.in

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